Books | Narratives | Medicine
5. I see someone who took a picture of an attraction.
We take pictures of the Taj Mahal and Mauna Loa and the Shwedagon Pagoda and Table Mountain and so, why not, of these adorable African children. And we post them online too, because the world must see what we saw.
I’m on leave in Cape Town and it is wonderful! As part of my effort to squish as much fun into a week as possible, my sister and I watched West Side Story at the Artscape Opera House. It. Was. AMAZING. What I knew of The Fugard Theatre Company going in: they stage the well-knownContinue reading “Don’t Miss West Side Story at the Artscape!”
Most kids have a penchant for fairy tales, but as a kid, my favourites were the stories my dad made up for me. Legally-blind, he made up special characters just for me that far surpassed any Snow White. Of course I loved Disney, but I only really started appreciating the Grimm Brothers’ tales when IContinue reading “New Old Fairytales [Reviewing The Turnip Princess]”
This is one of those you-know-you-work-in-Africa-when stories:
A young pregnant woman is admitted with severe early-onset pre-eclampsia. She is managed well and her blood pressures and kidney functions normalise. She is discharged for a few days with a return date and lots of medication.
At home, her condition worsens. When she develops anasarca, she seeks the help of a Sangoma. The Sangoma, after the required chat to the ancestors, declares that her client is severely ill and has been cursed.
Her pupils killed her daughter. Now, she will have her revenge. I have a lot of feelings about this book, so I apologise in advance for a rambling review. The first feeling is one of regret: not that I regret reading it, not at ALL; but regret that I did not love it as muchContinue reading “Book Review: Confessions by Kanae Minato [J-horror]”
South African schools don’t really study The Giver by Lois Lowry as prescribed reading, so I finally read it last weekend. I had been putting it off for years but it is such a quick and easy read that I could read it in an afternoon. Guys, I had so many thoughts about it afterwards. On GoodReadsContinue reading “Discussing The Giver’s Relevance in GIFs”
Kopano N. Mokale has just completed his fourth year of medical school at a South African university. He did his fourth year elective in Rural Psychiatry, something I thought was very brave and super interesting. I trust you will enjoy his story. As always, let me know if you’d like to share your Elective story.Continue reading “[Guest] Elective Extravaganza: Rural Psychiatry in Kimberley and Lobatse”
I was fourteen when a friend of mine told me to try Manga. The next time I went to a bookshop I went to the Manga shelf and uttered, “But the book is faulty. It’s back to front!” Genuinely. I felt a little stupid when everyone laughed at me, so maybe that’s why it tookContinue reading “My First Manga (and Review)”
One of the key lessons I learned from a young age was not to insult others’ cultures. Which, let’s be honest, is a pretty vital lesson, and was especially useful growing up in post-94 South Africa. One learns quickly that culture is an untouchable, and if you don’t understand it, the problem lies with youContinue reading “Book Review: Marked in Your Flesh by Leonard B. Glick”
I did ballet as a little girl – briefly. I really wanted the tutus and the twirls, but the few lessons that I took had me so confused. What did the teacher mean, “pick the stars”? I continued to read ballet books (so many series and I can’t remember what they were called) and try toContinue reading “The First Ballet: Thoughts”
Whispers Unto the Aether 